I participated in my second hackathon, hosted by Hackville, from January 17, 2025, to January 19, 2025. Over 36 hours, my team and I built SherLife, a platform designed to enhance the Sheridan student experience. SherLife aggregates essential resources, promotes free expression, and offers a marketplace for students to buy, sell, and exchange items securely. We used React-Vite for the frontend, Firebase for backend storage, and Amazon S3 for hosting marketplace photos. The platform aims to simplify navigation, keep students connected with events, and provide community support, with more features planned as it evolves.
What is SherLife?
SherLife is a comprehensive platform designed exclusively for Sheridan students. It serves as a one-stop solution that aggregates essential resources, promotes free expression, and provides a dedicated marketplace for students. Whether you're looking for campus events, academic support, or a space to share experiences, SherLife simplifies and enhances your student life.
Why SherLife?
SherLife was created to address the unique challenges faced by Sheridan students:
Stay Connected: Never miss out on campus events and updates with a centralized event hub.
Simplify Navigation: Access all essential Sheridan resources in one place, saving time and reducing frustration.
Dedicated Marketplace: Buy, sell, or exchange items within the Sheridan community, all in a secure, student-only environment.
Community Support: Share thoughts and seek support through our anonymous confession board, focusing on mental health and well-being.
Technical Stack
Frontend: Developed using React-Vite in TypeScript, providing a fast, responsive, and desktop-friendly user interface.
Styling: Utilized Tailwind CSS for flexible and customizable UI design.
Backend & Database: User information is securely stored in Firebase, offering seamless authentication and data management.
Marketplace Photos: Photos for the marketplace are stored in Amazon S3, with content delivered via CloudFront for optimal performance.
Hosting & Deployment: The website is hosted on Netlify, with a CI/CD pipeline set up for automated updates and deployments, ensuring that the latest features and fixes are promptly rolled out.
Media Tour:
Conclusion
SherLife is an innovative platform that aims to enhance the Sheridan student experience by providing a centralized hub for resources, events, and community engagement. By leveraging modern technologies like React-Vite, TypeScript, Firebase, and Amazon S3, SherLife offers a seamless and efficient user experience. The platform's focus on connecting students, simplifying navigation, and fostering a supportive community makes it a valuable tool for everyone at Sheridan. As the project evolves, it will continue to offer new features, enhancing its role as an essential resource for students, while providing a platform for free expression and mutual support.
